Brentwood Storm Water Systems

Federal Stormwater Phase II regulations are the driving force behind the increasing number of underground basins being constructed for retention, detention, and infiltration of stormwater run-off. These regulations protect waterways from being polluted by run-off from impervious surfaces such as roofs and parking lots during a storm event and also address the recharging of groundwater aquifers. But municipal planners and commercial and residential developers are also aware of the space-maximization benefits of these systems.

Retention ponds are an all-too-common sight in our landscape. These eyesores consume acres of usable land. Sub-surface systems, by comparison, can provide the same or more stormwater storage capacity as a retention pond with the same area, but these systems allow the surface area to be used for parking lots, athletic fields, parks, or other green space.

There are a variety of underground stormwater storage systems available, ranging from the less-expensive, but inefficient, crushed rock systems to elaborate, expensive concrete structures, pipe and chambers systems.

The crushed rock approach requires filling an excavation with stone and covering it with soil or a paved surface to create a storage basin. But the limited porosity of this fill (approximately 25-40% void space) requires large excavations for adequate stormwater storage. Concrete structures, submerged tanks, pipe and chamber systems, the like can achieve greater stormwater storage (higher void area) than crushed rock systems, but at a much higher cost in terms of labor, time, and money.